Thursday, December 23, 2010

The falcon takes a gander

Mark Ronson has not yet committed to working in a particular genre as a producer. If Pop music means only a shortened form of “Popular” then that is where he can be found. A deeper reading might suggest: that he is influenced by so much that he cant help but create, for want of a better term, hybrids, or he allows the artiste he is working with creative control.

In coming to know mark as a DJ in New York in the 90’s, he was always able to select a cross-section of music that spanned decades, continents and styles to the satisfaction of motley throngs.

I bought Everybody Got Their Something out of equal amounts of support, and curiosity. For me it lacked a certain stickiness that some of his later work is not short of. However, I believe it showed his willingness as a producer to take a chance with not a popular but experienced singer, Nikka Costa.

The sounds of Lily Allen’s Smile, the only single I heard off her album and Amy Winehouse’s Back to Black too, were different. I liked!

Not being hardcore into rap I found myself on the outside of Here Comes The Fuzz.

His latest offering so far draws on familiar elements fused with so much more that it makes it again difficult for me to place it in a box.

Now going as Mark Ronson and The Business Intl. the singles I have heard so far are a warm mix of the outré and the contemporary. Nice to hear and see Boy George too!

While this selection has shades of Talking Heads' Naked and Exile's I Wanna Kiss You All Over it is a welcomed listen that brings a smile to my face when I think of it.